No immediate further player pay-offs for Rovers after Campbell and Etuhu exits

BLACKBURN Rovers have no immediate plans to make further player pay-offs.

The Ewood Park outfit yesterday came to financial agreements with Dickson Etuhu and DJ Campbell to rip up their lucrative contracts.

Rovers managing director Derek Shaw admitted the club will continue to try to ‘clear the decks’ in an attempt to fall in line with Financial Fair Play.

But it is understood, for the time being at least, that Etuhu, Campbell and David Goodwillie will be the only members of Gary Bowyer’s squad to be paid to leave.

Shaw said: “We’ve been trying to sort something out for a while now and we’ve finally agreed something.

“It was the same last summer with Gael Givet, Danny Murphy and Morten Gamst Pedersen – we’re trying to move on players who do not fit in the manager’s plans.

“We’re trying to clear the decks and there’s no point having those players around if they are not going to feature.

“It’s well documented about the Financial Fair Play rules and we’ve got to work to try and get everything in order.

“But just because they’ve gone it does not mean the costs have gone as we’ve agreed settlements.”

Etuhu had two years remaining on the four-year contract, worth more than £30,000 a week, he signed after joining Rovers for £1.5m from Fulham in August 2012.

Campbell, another of the club’s highest earners, had one year remaining on the two-year deal he penned after arriving on a free transfer in July 2013.

Both players proved to be expensive flops with Etuhu, 32, making just 24 appearances in two injury plagued seasons and Campbell, also 32, appearing on only nine occasions in his sole full campaign at Rovers.

Campbell was arrested in December by the National Crime Agency as part of a probe into alleged spot-fixing in football and subsequently released on bail without charge.

The departures will not lead to Bowyer being given significant funds to spend in the transfer market.

But the Rovers boss, whose two signings so far have been free transfers, is confident he will soon be making more additions.

Bowyer, whose priority is to strengthen his defence, said: “We have to cut our cloth accordingly now and put a structure in place.

“We’ve been trying to do that over the last 12 months and, as I’ve stressed, it will probably take another two more windows before the club is back on a sensible standing.”

Leon Best, Jordan Slew and Alex Marrow, who in May were placed on the transfer list, are expected to be present at Brockhall this morning for the start of pre-season training.

But Ruben Rochina, having been on loan at Rayo Vallecano last season, will not return until Saturday, while it remains unclear whether David Dunn and Markus Olsson will take part in the first session of the summer.

Dunn and Olsson are now officially free agents although Rovers remain in talks with the out-of-contract duo.

Striker Goodwillie, meanwhile, is training with St Johnstone following his release.

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